Cannabis in Devon

Introduction

As of Oct. 17, 2018 the sales and recreational consumption of cannabis will be legal in Canada. In order to prepare for this, the federal Government has created the Cannabis Act which is legislation designed to protect the health and safety of Canadians. In addition to this, the Alberta Government has released the Alberta Cannabis Framework to further prepare Alberta cannabis legalization.

Municipalities have been challenged to develop their own bylaws regarding the retail sale and consumption of cannabis for their respective communities.

What is cannabis?

Cannabis refers to products made from the leaves and flowers of the cannabis plant, also referred to as marijuana or pot.

Cannabis can be consumed in a number of ways such as: smoking, vaporizing (vaping), eating, drinking, dabbing, through drops put on the tongue or directly through the skin with a lotion.

Where can I consume cannabis in Devon?

Devon has adopted a zero-public consumption stance on recreational cannabis consumption. This means that smoking and/or vaping of recreational cannabis is prohibited in any public place within the Town of Devon's limits.

Cannabis is allowed to be consumed on private property in Devon once it becomes legal in Canada on Oct. 17, 2018.

Cannabis Act

As of October 17, 2018 the Cannabis Act is in effect across Canada. This act is designed developed at the federal level and designed to protect the health and safety of Canadians and to keep cannabis out of the hands of youth and profits out of the hands of criminals and organized crime.

The Cannabis Act includes a number of provisions and recommendations including:

To buy, possess or use cannabis, you must be of legal age (18 years in Alberta)

The Cannabis Act includes strict penalties for selling or providing cannabis to youth under the legal age

Legal cannabis has an excise stamp appearing in different colours for each province/territory on product labels

Driving while impaired by cannabis (or any other drug) is a serious criminal offence

It is illegal to take cannabis across the Canadian border, whether leaving or coming into Canada

Under the Cannabis Act, access to cananbis for medical purposes will continue to ne provided to those authorized by their healthcare practitioner

Public Participation

The Town of Devon conducted a public survey from Aug. 30 to Sept. 21, 2018 to gather information about how residents and business owners in Devon felt about how the Town should manage the public consumption of cannabis once it becomes legal in Canada on Oct. 17, 2018.

The survey was available through a link that was shared:

On the Town of Devon website

The local Devon Dispatch newspaper

The Town's Facebook & Twitter social media accounts

At the Town of Devon Community Report event

In total, the survey received 437 responses with the majority of respondents wanting the Town to limit the consumption of cannabis to private residences.

Cannabis Retail Sales, Permits and Licenses

With the Government of Canada introducing legislation to legalize cannabis in 2017 and the Government of Alberta in 2018, municipalities across the country have been working hard to develop bylaws to regulate the use and sale of cannabis and cannabis related products in their community. In order to gain a better understanding of how the legalization of cannabis will affect Devon, the Town has spent hours doing research, been involved in continuous conversations with all its neighbouring communities and engaged Devon residents through a Land Use Bylaw Open House and survey.

Opening a cannabis retail business in Devon

On June 11, 2018, Devon administration presented to Council for approval, amendments to the Town’s Land Use Bylaw, with recommendations on process and where cannabis can be sold in Devon. The following represent the guidelines for Cannabis retail sales. Retail locations must be;

100 metres from schools & hospital property lines

100 metres from any playground structure

100 metres from the front door of any daycares

The following maps represent the commercial zones where cannabis retail will be permitted:

Permits and Licensing

The following permits and licenses must be obtained prior to opening a cannabis retail store. Approvals of cannabis retail locations will be on a first come first served basis. The Town’s permit and licensing processes are interdependent with the AGLC Cannabis Store Licence process. To secure your location, refer to the diagram below to understand what you need to be considered and ultimately approved to open a retail location in Devon.

A development permit is required to approve the proposed use and ensure it meets the requirements of the town’s Land Use Bylaw, Which includes the areas where cannabis retail will be allowed in Devon. The AGLC requires development permit approval from the town prior to issuance of an AGLC Cannabis Store license.

A building permit is required for a business that is changing occupancies of a building or for structural changes. A determination regarding whether a building permit is required will be communicated to an applicant during the development permit review. Additional information may be requested. To obtain a building permit, a completed building permit application must be submitted, along with specified plans and fees.

A Town of Devon business licence is required for every business operating in the town. Application for a business licence may occur upon approval of a development permit, and is issued after all permits and licences are received. The town will issue a business licence and send it directly to the AGLC, which will provide a hard copy to the applicant of the municipal business licence upon pick-up of the AGLC Cannabis Store Licence.

For information on opening a cannabis retail store in Devon, please contact: